leafpeeper

We are travelling from Australia to New England (mainly Vermont) from 1 Oct 2003 until approx 15 Octobr to experience "fall". The plan so far is to use the following places as a base to radiate our day trips out of: 2 days in Stowe, 2 days in Craftsbury Common area/ 1 day in Chelsea/Peacham, 3 days in Woodstock, 2 in Springfield (covering Weston, Grafton & Newfane)and then 1 night in Dorset/Arlington area then back to Boston (by train) for shopping and the Head of the Charles River!

We will have a car but really want to avoid big towns/cities (and congestion)as much as possible. We wish to spend our times enjoying the best covered bridges, a bit of bike riding, strolling in the coloured woods and canoeing/taking boat trips on the lovely lakes/rivers. I've visited Yankee Magazine and a million other websites, bought some travel books but the best advice of all comes from others' experiences. Can you recommend any special towns (and accommodation), consistently good areas for coloured fall foilage, day tour operators (covering the unmarked backroads) or special lakes for canoeing?
We don't feel adventurous enough to tackle the drive along the Kamanganus highway in NH but would love to find a day tour operator that operates out of St Johnsbury area to that area to see that gorgeous NH fall foilage.
I would be so appreciative for any hints or tips of advice.

MaggieMay

We just came back from a family wedding in Portmouth, New Hampshire and it was outstanding. I urge you to take the time to go to Portsmouth as it was a delightful and historic little town. The food was great, the shopping just over the border in Kiterly, Maine was UNBELIEVABLE. The shopping may not be your bag (pun-intended) but it may be a good place to pick up truly 'American' gifts while you are here.

Although I am Canadian, there are parts of NH that rivaled Canada in beauty. We will hopefully go back and visit in the summer - or better yet- the fall. The scenic drive up the seashore towards Mass. was incredible.

Enjoy your trip.

dfrostnh

Take a boat ride on Lake Winnipesaukee, Lake Sunapee, Squam Lake or (ocean) Portsmouth NH. In Portsmouth, choose a harbor cruise or one specifically for foliage (and not going to one of the islands). Squam Lake would be the quietest since there is very little commercial development. A pretty small town in NH is Warner. You can park, then take an easy hike to the top of Mt Kearsarge. There is govt flood control land throughout NH. Dirt roads are flooded in Spring and closed in winter but offer miles of excellent biking and walking. This is where the locals are go to ride their horses and cross-country ski or snowmobile in winter. Part of Warner is in one of these areas and some of these old roads used to be main thoroughfares before the dams were built. There are a couple of covered bridges in the Warner area. There are several places to rent canoes in the Concord NH area (near Warner) but I don't know how late in the season they are open. You might be surprised. Concord is the state capital but you can rent canoes (in the Everett Arena parking lot across the road from the Post Office).

Renya

In fall 2001 I stayed at the Shire Inn in Chelsea, VT. It was a great place! We specifically chose this particular inn because they were featured in a bed, breakfast, and bike guide I had purchased. There are several bike routes to follow, which purposely guide you down dirt roads and over beautiful covered bridges. If you want quiet, this is the place to go. After a day of biking you can enjoy the unbelievable gourmet cooking of the inn keepers. The food was phenomenal!!! The inn was very clean, comfortable, and elegantly decorated. Fireplaces abound! Definitely take a peek at their website (www.shireinn.com) because there are many pictures so that you can get an idea of what I am talking about.
Chelsea is fairly close to Woodstock, a touristy town worth visiting. You might also want to check out the Woodstock Inn, more of an actual hotel than the Shire Inn.

Dreamer2

If you do go to Warner, check out the Kearsarge Indian Museum. It's fairly small, but curated with love and care, and on beautiful scenic grounds.
In the Woodstock area, I love both the Woodstock Inn (aging, grand, and warm) and the Quechee Inn (more intimate). Both are on the pricey side, especially during foliage season. Hope this helps with some part of your trip. Sounds like quite and adventure! Best wishes for a wonderful time.

kreinestja

I live right outside of Springfield, and would like to suggest you stay in Sturbridge, Northampton or Amherst. Springfield is quiet a rough area, that offers very little to visitors. The three areas that I suggested are very nice and are about twenty miles or so from Springfield.

elle

For the Newfane/Grafton area, I'd recommend the Inn at Saxton's River, in the nearby town of Saxton's River, which is in itself a sweet, charming little town. There's a web site; I'll look for a link to post.

JVS

I have spent a lot of time looking for quintessential New England fall and here is my (humble) assesment:
You are on the right track- Vermont is definitely the place to be and you are going at a good time. (Skip New Hampshire, although it is a nice state, it also doesnt have the same civic pride (and laws) banning roadside advertising and McDonald's golden arches which dampen the landscape)
We have spent a lot of time on the east side of the Green Mountains and found this to be the best area of VT(Waitsfield,Warren and the like), the hilly, windy road is fun to drive and the grandeur of nature is breathtaking (there are also a lot of great Inns in that particular area). Avoiding big towns is not too hard as there arent that many (you will be able to figure out where they are by looking at the map)Let me know if you want some Inn recommendations.

zootsi

I live in NH, close to the Vt border, so I know both states quite well. Your itinery is very good, you must have done your homework. One comment on Woodstock - 3 days here might be a bit much as it is a meduim sized, very quaint town with lots of tourists, that can easily be seen in a day or two. Woodstock does get a fair amount of traffic this time of year, since a main artey (route 4) runs right thru it.The Billings Farm Museum is a must see if you are in the Woodstock area. I would suggest a night or two in the Conecticut river valley portion of New Hampshire, at a town such as Hanover, Lyme or Cornish. The Windsor-Cornish covered bridge is the longest in the US, and is set in a VERY scenic area. The auto road up to Mt. Ascutney Vt.is very spectacular, and is close to Cornish NH and Springfield Vt. St. Gaudens Historical site in Cornish is a very beautiful, tranquil spot for an aftrnoon picnic. Another option would be to do a day or two in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The White Mountains are quite rugged and spectacular (moreso than Vermont's green Mountains) but can get congested in the main roadways this time of year.
In general, Vermont is more laid back and bucolic, New Hampshire is more rugged and 'North Woodsy' , but also a little more touristy (except for the Connecticut River area). Both states will offer you very scenic vistas and great leef peeping.

kreinestja

Please disregard my previous comment, I incorrectly assumed you were staying in Springfield MA.

leafpeeper

Thank you everyone for so many wonderful thoughts - they are extremely helpful. I'm definitely taking each one of them on board and finetuning things a little.